


When Fantasy and Reality Lie Too Far Apart

by fallsintograce



Series: Various Bang Fics [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Dreams, Dreams and Nightmares, Dreams vs. Reality, Fluff, M/M, Victor with long hair is my kryptonite, Victuuri Big Bang 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-29 00:58:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11429844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallsintograce/pseuds/fallsintograce
Summary: Victor and Yuuri know each other by now. They know what they want in the future. But could they say the same if they met each other in the past?  (For Viktuuri Reverse Bang 2017/YuriOnIceBigBang).





	1. The Night Before

**Author's Note:**

> This is my contribution to the Victuuri Reverse Bang/Yuri On Ice Big Bang 2017. I was a pinch hitter for this idea and it was a little difficult to write. It's been a while since I've been a teenager so writing in that POV took some time. I hope I do it justice. I know there should be art but there isn't any at the moment. However, I don't want the fic to go to waste right now since I spent some time on it so here it is! 
> 
> Please forgive any errors I might make, I will fix those in the morning. I'll answer comments then too. This will be six chapters long so here we go!

Victor Nikiforov was certain that he knew everything there was about Yuuri Katsuki. 

A few months had given him a good idea of Yuuri's personality. His student slash lover did have a lot of talent as a skater. His step sequence was out of the world and he was amazing when he nailed all the other elements. His confidence was still very shaky and he didn't think of himself as good as the others. However, he was stronger than he looked and now he was starting to believe it. 

Both were also certain about what they wanted in the future. Victor was certain he would marry Yuuri the day he got gold in something. If Yuuri came away with five world championships, they would buy a nice house to keep all their dogs and growing family. Yuuri didn't know about that part yet but he would find out soon enough. 

Even now, as Victor was watching Yuuri skate, he was thinking about their future together. He only came out of his daydream when Yakov yelled at him. "What are you doing?! Get your head out of the clouds, Vitya!"

"Is something wrong?" Yuuri stopped.

"You were fine, Yuuri. Victor, on the other hand...I'm amazed he manages to get anything done around you."

Yuuri blushed and turned to Victor who was used to this. Yakov was tough but he could see why Victor trusted him so much. There was a reason why his students always performed well at competitions. He knew how to get through to them and make them the best they could be. When needed, Yakov was definitely reliable and he didn't try to sugarcoat anything. Yuuri was learning this as he observed everything. Still, he was Victor's student more than he was Yakov's. He listened to Victor first. 

"I have no idea how you two manage to get anything done." Yakov sighed. "You keep making those eyes at each other! Concentrate!" 

"I'm sorry." Yuuri apologized while Victor just waved this off. "I'll stay focused from now on."

"I should hope so. And you!" He turned to Victor. "I already told you how hard coaching and competing was going to be! So do more of that and less flirting!"

"Finally!" Yuri muttered as he stopped next to them. "I'm amazed you get anything done with all those googly eyes you make at pork cutlet bowl."

"What's wrong with looking at my fiance skate?" Victor wanted to know. 

"If you were looking while coaching him, that's one thing. Instead, you have that dumb look on your face. I know what that look is. I may be only sixteen but I'm not blind. You're completely in love with him and it shows. It's bad enough that I have to deal with Mila and Georgi's love dramas. Now I have to deal with yours too."

"And what's wrong with being in love with each other?"

"You still don't know everything about each other, do you? I bet you know nothing about each other's pasts. You probably don't know what he was like when he was my age." Yuri pointed out. "You two fell in love very fast."

"Well, love does funny things. It can hit you at any time but you'll be certain when you find the one." Yuuri said. "We did move fast but we're sure of how we feel. You'll understand it when you're a little older."

"Whatever." Yuri stopped to take a drink. 

"We're almost done for the day." Victor said. "Do you think you can do a little more?" 

"I think we should call it a day." Yuuri decided. "I think we're both done."

"Wow!" Victor breathed out. "For once, you are done and I still want to do more. Maybe you're the one who's getting too old."

"You think I'm getting old?" Yuuri gaped at him. "I'm just tired today. I promise you that my stamina hasn't been drained out."

"I know. I saw it in the bedroom last night..."

"Ugh, really? You had to start talking about that now?" Yuri overheard that and rolled his eyes. "Either get off the ice or stay on it. Some of us are still trying to skate. Keep your bedroom stuff to yourselves!"

"He's right. Let's just go." Yuuri grabbed his skate guards as he made his way off the ice. "I need to rest today after that fall."

"You had too much on your mind. I told you not to think so much when jumping." 

"Some things are hard to change. At least I'm used to living here now." 

That much was true. It had been a few months since the Grand Prix final in Barcelona. Life was going smoothly for both of them. There were some struggles in the beginning. Russia was far different from Japan but Yuuri was used to it now. He knew where everything was and could make his way around. He was slowly starting to pick up some Russian though he wasn't perfect. He was just fortunate that he had Victor, Yuri, and everyone else to help him out. By now, everyone else had warmed up to him. He had become good friends with Mila, Georgi, and all the other skaters. Yuri was still the same but even he had loosened up a bit. 

"Just don't get in my way, pork cutlet bowl." He warned him. "Don't bother me and I won't bother you."

While he still griped about things, Yuri had calmed down partially due to Otabek. Those two were now talking regularly and their friendship was still going strong. Otabek had come down a few times and it looked like they always had fun. This was probably the best thing that had happened in his life. He finally had a friend that he could turn to and talk about anything with. As for his part, Otabek had no issues listening to Yuri complain about everything under the sun. They could only Skype with each other a few times a week now. They were still training for their next competitions and couldn't travel now. Still, that was comforting for both and at least they got to see each other in some way. 

Yuuri missed his family a lot but at least they were able to talk to each other every night. Things were going well at the hot springs. Business was starting to roll in thanks to his performance at the GPF. Hasetsu was proud of him. Everyone was proud of him. He was the hero of his town and they were eagerly waiting for the day when he came back. It couldn't be anytime soon since they had more competitions to prepare for. Day after day, it seemed like Yuuri was getting stronger and becoming more confident. He owed it all to Victor. If it hadn't been for Victor, who knew what he would have done? Would he even have a skating career? 

While he was feeling a little better when he got home, Victor was unusually quiet. Nothing was wrong. Yuuri knew he hadn't done anything wrong. Still, this quiet was not something he wanted to deal with. Victor was talking like normal but something was off. At home, the feeling lingered around them. It was heavy and pushing down to the point where Yuuri had to break the ice. He couldn't take this kind of quiet.

"What's wrong?" He finally asked when it was time to go to bed. Makkachin had already curled up on the end of the bed and was waiting on his masters to join him. However, Victor didn't seem to notice his own dog for once. "I know that look on your face. Something happened. Is it something I did?"

"No, Yuuri, you've done nothing wrong. I just...you never told me much about your past. I've met your family and lived in your home and I still feel like I don't know anything."

"Why would you say that? We've been together for a long time now. You've seen everything and you know me now. What makes you think that you know nothing?"

"Something's missing."

"What?"

"Tell me something I wouldn't know about you. You must have secrets." 

Secrets. Normally, Yuuri would not talk about secrets but Victor was something special. If anyone deserved to know his deepest secrets, it was the love of his life. However, there was nothing else he could tell him. Victor already knew about his anxiety. He knew about his family life and the friends he had. He knew Yuuri's birthday, where he had gone to school, and the things that he felt. There was nothing he was hiding anymore. 

"I think you can probably guess that I looked up to you." He began. "Then again, who didn't? You were on top of the world and everyone wanted to be you. Other than that, there wasn't anything interesting about me and my life. I wanted to skate on the same ice with you. I've done that now. Do you really think I would keep something from you?"

"Did you tell me everything?" Victor asked again. "You're not hiding any deep, dark secret from me?"

"No, I would never hide anything from you. What kind of secret were you expecting? Do you think I have a criminal record or maybe another lover on the side? You don't need to worry about a thing." Yuuri assured him. "You know everything about me. You have all of me. The past in the past and we'll just focus on the future."

That seemed to satisfy him for the time being. "All right, I believe you. I don't think you are a secret criminal. I just wanted to know if there's something I'm missing."

"Would you be angry if I was a criminal?"

He was joking, of course, but Victor had no idea how to respond to that. He would love Yuuri in every form. He would have taken Yuuri, no matter what he looked like. If he did have a criminal record, it wouldn't have mattered in the long run. As long as they loved each other, that was the only thing he was concerned about.

"No." He finally answered. "I'll love you anyway."

"That's all I wanted to hear. The good news is though that I am not a criminal. What you saw is what you got." Yuuri paused for a second. ""Wait, there is one thing I didn't tell you yet. I'm not sure if you want to know..."

"Really? Tell me!"

Yuuri leaned in close and whispered in his ear. "Overcome Chihoko."

Victor's jaw fell open. "Yuuri! You promised you wouldn't bring that up again!"

"I'm only kidding, Victor!" Yuuri laughed as Makkachin started to bark happily. "I just wanted your reaction."

"That wasn't funny!"

"I'm laughing so I'd say it is a little funny. I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. Really though, there is nothing else about me."

It never failed. Chihoko was still a joke that made everyone laugh including the dog. Victor hoped that everyone would have forgotten about it by now but that wasn't the case. Phichit still had all the photos from that day and refused to delete them off his phone. As a result, Chihoko was brought up every now and then much to Victor's dismay. He just wanted to put that incident in the past but no one else did.

"So there is nothing else?" Victor asked.

"Nothing else. Go to sleep, okay? Everything will be fine. I'm not hiding anything from you."

Victor lay down and felt Makkachin move from his end of the bed and come in between them. "Promise me one more thing?"

"Anything."

"Don't bring up Chihoko again." 

"I'll try not to. Now good night!" Yuuri kissed him before settling in on his side of the bed. This was perfect. This was what they both wanted.

Yet as Victor drifted off to sleep, he had a feeling inside that just wasn't going away. As he drifted off to sleep, he thought about how things would have changed if they met in the past. How different would things be? Would they even like each other?

_What were you like, Yuuri?_

It was the last thought he had before he finally closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	2. Dream World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weirdness begins...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lateness on this. I have everything done, I'm just being lazy getting it all up! More reverse bang chapter stuff, yay! 
> 
> Any mistake I may have made, I will fix them tomorrow.

When Victor woke up the next morning, he knew that something was wrong. The first thing was the light. It wasn't morning light that normally greeted him through the window. It was something softer and dull. As he opened his eyes, he was greeted with walls. The problem was that these weren't the bedroom walls. They weren't the walls of the living room or anywhere else he was familiar with. These walls were more colorful and bright. They looked like the walls of a child's room for some reason. 

_This isn't home. This isn't the rink. Is this even St. Petersburg?_ He asked himself. Bits and pieces are to become more clear as he came around. He rolled to the side and hoped that Yuuri would be right there. He would be greeted with Yuuri's warm eyes or maybe Makkachin's soft brown fur. Maybe he would get a sloppy kiss from both of them. He wanted to see one of them at his side. He needed some familiarity.

"Makkachin? Yuuri?" He spoke up, waiting for someone to reply. There was neither a bark from Makkachin or Yuuri murmuring a response. Had he been kidnapped and taken away from them? Was it some crazed fan that came after him while he slept and stole him from the bedroom? No, that was all nonsense. Their doors were locked tight at night and he didn't know anyone who could do something like that. He did have over-zealous fans out there but no one ever showed the desire to kidnap him.  
Then another horrible thought hit him. What if it wasn't him that was kidnapped? What if someone had taken Yuuri or Makkachin away from him? What if they had been dragged off in the middle of the night, screaming for help, and he just slept through it all? He would never forgive himself if anything happened to them.

"Yuuri? Makkachin?" He looked around the room as voices started to fill in. A lot of things weren't audible or visible but he knew something was wrong. He wasn't in bed. He wasn't held down. No one tied him up so he probably wasn't kidnapped. He just felt like he had been drugged.

"I'm glad to see you finally woke up." An unfamiliar voice greeted him. "You've been sleeping for a long time so it's good that you finally decided to join."

That had to be his kidnapper. Before he could ask what was going on, the voice continued. "Thank goodness you did wake up because you were going to miss the important announcement that I had for everyone. I've paired you up with your partner."

Paired up? This was an odd thing for a kidnapper to do. Still, he had other things on mind. With a little strength, he managed to speak up. "Where is Makkachin?"

There were giggles all around him and he realized that they were young children. No, they were teenagers. Bit by bit, the laughter became louder and he knew they were laughing at him. His kidnapper, whoever it was, let out a giant sigh.  
"Why am I not surprised by any of this?" She asked. Ah, it was a woman. Still, it was not a woman he recognized. It didn't sound like anyone that he or Yuuri would know. "You need to stay focused, Victor! I'm not going to repeat myself! Now let's stop thinking about Moschino or Cappuchino or whoever you are looking for."

"Makkachin." He corrected her. "My dog's name is Makkachin."

"Yes, that's what I said. All right, since you didn't pair yourself up, I found someone for you. Please work with him and use your time wisely."

"He's so weird." He heard someone whisper behind him. "Pretty but weird. I feel bad for Katsuki-kun."

"Katsuki-kun?" There was only one Katsuki-kun he could think of right now. It was the only person he wanted to be near. 

_Where am I?_ He blinked, running his fingers through his hair. This was his first clue; he had long hair again. He was younger. The second clue was turning around and seeing the one person he didn't expect to see. He might have been shorter and younger but it was him. Same brown eyes, same sweet smile. 

"Yuuri!" He gasped.

Yuuri blinked while everyone else in class burst out laughing. "Yes?"

"Good, you know your partner's name. I see you paid a little attention to some things." The woman went on. "Katsuki, please help him out. I think he'll need to brought up to speed."

"I will." Yuuri nodded before turning to Victor. "You and I are working together. This is a project."

"A what?"

"Project. Didn't you hear anything that she said?"

No, Victor heard nothing at all. He was just focused on his lover. He didn't know if he could call Yuuri a lover. Yuuri as a teen was adorable. Of course, Yuuri as an adult was also adorable but this version was just too sweet and innocent. His Eros wasn't at its fullest. In fact, it wasn't even there. He was just young and trying to get through school now. No, this was all wrong. This was not reality. It was a dream. It had to be a dream. Either that or he managed to travel back in time. Somehow, when he went to bed that night, he went back to the past when Yuuri was still young. Maybe it was that wishful thinking earlier. He wanted to meet Yuuri sooner and now he was getting the chance. They were both young and in the same classroom so right away things were different. The teacher moved away from them so they were alone to talk. Yuuri seemed to have a clue what was going on. So he decided to ask some questions.

"What does your family do?" He already knew the answer but he had to pretend that he had no idea. To Yuuri, he was just another student. He was someone that sat in class with him but never really interacted until now. He had to act like he was getting to know him.

"They own a hot springs. It's really popular."

Of course. The family would still have the same hot springs and the business would be booming. Hasetsu still had other hot springs around here as well as other things. More and more tourists were coming around and visiting the area. No one could blame them for stopping by Hasetsu. It was a quiet yet beautiful little town by the sea. The businesses weren't falling apart. If anything, they were expanding. Not a single one of them would have an idea that they wouldn't be around in the future.  
Then again, this wasn't the same Hasetsu. This was a Hasetsu in America, which made absolutely no sense. Then again, it didn't feel like America either. Victor had been there many times in the past, from big cities to smaller towns. This was not a big city nor was it a small town. It didn't have the charm of either one. Instead, it felt empty and lacking in life. The colors were there, the people were there, there was a lot of noise...and it was all wrong. It was a strange world that took place in the past. It felt like the present of another dimension.

"Um, do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"Just my older sister, Mari. She helps my family out with the hot springs sometimes."

That was it. Yuuri didn't bother to ask Victor about his family or life. Maybe it was for the best. Young Yuuri was just too shy to continue the conversation so it looked like Victor had his work cut out for him. He just needed that one question to bring Yuuri out of his shell. He needed to ask the one thing that would get Yuuri talking. The problem was what kind of question did he need to ask. The previous ones didn't do much.

Then it hit him. "What do you do for fun?"

That got the ball rolling and Yuuri's brown eyes lit up. "I like to skate and dance! My mother has a friend...Minako-sensei...I go to her studio all the time! And my friend Yuko and I skate together! Sometimes, our friend Takeshi joins us even though he doesn't like it as much. There are some skaters that we really like..."

Yuuri began rattling off a lot of names and Victor felt at ease. Now he was able to get some information out of him. However, one of those names didn't come up. The whole time Yuuri was talking, he didn't once mention Victor. That just struck him as odd. Did he not exist in this world? Did Yuuri not know who he was? Maybe he wasn't a skater in this new universe. That would explain why no one else recognized him either. Victor Nikiforov was no one in this world. He didn't exist. He was just a student like all these other students. He didn't know who to turn to or what to do. His only hope lay with Yuuri. If anyone could get him back to reality, it was Yuuri. The problem was that Yuuri didn't know about anything. For him, this was normal. This was his life.  
No, it couldn't be his life. He needed to back to the present. Or was it the future now? Whatever time it was, he just had to go back there. He wanted to be back in a world where Yuuri was older and knew and loved him. He wanted to see the people that he knew and grew up around. This strange place, wherever it was, wasn't home. It wasn't familiar. It was nothing to him. He had to go back. He had to find that portal or something that took him where he belonged.

"Would you like to?"

Yuuri's sudden question broke Victor out of his thoughts. "Would I like to what?"

"Go skating with me!" Yuuri seemed frustrated that Victor had tuned him out. "I asked you if you wanted to go skating because we have a rink close to home."

Skating sounded nice. It would be the one thing that would feel normal. Hopefully, he would remember how to skate in this world. "I would love to go there."

"Good, do you want to go after school? We can talk about the project over there. Do you have any idea what you want to work on?"

Victor shook his head. He didn't have any idea what to expect in this world. A school project sounded so simple but what if it wasn't? Maybe history in this world was nothing like it was in the real world. Did this world go through two world wars? How were things in Russia? Did Russia even exist anymore? He needed to find out more.

"Well, I think of something and you can tell me if you like it." Yuuri suggested. "So you're okay with coming over the ice rink after school?"

"Yes, I want that." Oh, he wanted that badly. He wanted something that didn't make him feel out of place. Hopefully, figure skating would be the same as it was.

Something still had to be the same out here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Follow me on tumblr!](http://fallsintograce.tumblr.com)
> 
> We got arts, thanks to starry_climes! 
> 
> [Here](http://starry-climes.tumblr.com/post/163610976981/its-hard-to-study-when-you-are-both-crushing)
> 
> And
> 
> [Here](http://starry-climes.tumblr.com/post/163610976981/its-hard-to-study-when-you-are-both-crushing)


	3. First Date?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have a little date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, bit by bit, I'm putting all these chapters up. I swear they will all be up by August 18th. Also, my artist has given me the arts and they are on the previous chapter! Check them out! (I'll link them again later).
> 
> I combined chapter 3 & 4 and the last part is going to go up next week sometime!

They had gone to the library to get something done but both were too distracted by other things. Victor kept staring Yuuri and wanting to know how he was going to fix this mess. It was still a dream and he would still wake up. It would happen. Just any minute, Makkachin would poke his wet nose against him or Yuuri would roll over on him. Something would wake him up. 

The scene at the library didn’t last long. They had all the books out but neither could pay attention to what was on the pages. Rather than start on this project, Yuuri wanted to skate. According to him, skating would be what got him focused on other things. It was also his escape from reality. He came to the rink to forget about life and get lost in his thoughts. If there was one thing Yuuri did a lot of while skating, it was thinking. Sometimes, it helped him do well and sometimes, he flubbed everything up. It just depended on what he was thinking about.

"Have you ever skated before?" Yuuri asked.

Any other time, Victor would have found this a ridiculous question but this Yuuri was living in a world where he didn't exist. There was no Victor Nikiforov that he looked up. So who was his idol now? Did he even look up to anyone? Had he fallen for anyone else out there? Victor didn't want to get jealous of this other imaginary person. After all, there was no reason to be jealous. Maybe there was no one else out there.

"I have." Victor finally answered. Hopefully, he still had his skating abilities in this strange past world. Unfortunately, he didn't have his skates and the rental ones wouldn't suffice. All the while, he was still trying to wake himself up. He would take anything to pull him out of this dream; Makkachin, Yuuri, even Yakov screaming at him. "I want to see you skate first."

"Oh, okay." Yuuri didn't find this unusual. "My friend and her family own the ice rink. She's really nice and I think you'll like her."

Ah, Nishigori Yuuko was also young in this world. She wasn't even Nishigori's wife yet. At this point, if time made sense, she would be about seventeen. Her future husband Takeshi would be sixteen and he'd probably still be hanging around. Yuuri had never told Victor about how Yuuko and Takeshi got together and got married. It didn't seem like an important detail at the time but now it would interesting to see. Now they would both be at that point where they would be dating each other. Takeshi might have taunted Yuuri in the past but he probably got wise and was now a good friend.

They walked in and saw Yuuko with her back turned, talking to Takeshi. Both looked like younger version of their adult selves. Yuuko was laughing at something Takeshi had said when she saw the two of them come over. It was strange to see them as teens now. In about two more years, they would be married and the triplets would be born. At least, that was the reality. In this fantasy world, no one knew what was going on.

Yuko looked over Takeshi's shoulder and waved to Yuuri as he walked. "Oh, there you are! I was wondering if you were going to show up today! You're lucky because there's an hour before close. If you want, my parents can keep it open a little longer."  
"That would be nice. I hope you don't mind but I bought a friend." Yuuri began, nodding at Victor and then turning to his friends. "Victor, these are Yuuko and Takeshi. They are the friends I was talking about. Everyone, Victor Nikiforov."

"Huh, interesting name." Takeshi looked at Victor like he was trying to examine him. "You sound familiar. Have you been here before?"

"No?" Victor felt the sweat on his brow. Maybe he did exist in this strange world. "This is my first time here."

"I think I've heard of your name before."

"You have?" This was either a good thing or a terrible thing. "I don't think I know you."

Oh, it was hard to lie but it was also the truth. In this world, Victor wouldn't know who Nishigori Takeshi was. He wouldn't have known about him in the past either. It wasn't until he came to live with Yuuri that he got to know all of Yuuri's family and close friends. Still, he had to act like he had no idea who Takeshi was.

"Your name..."

"It's Russian." Victor cut him off. "I'm from Russia. I'm an...exchange student from Russia."

"Russia, huh? I never heard of it."

Victor had forgotten about the fact that Russia probably didn't exist here. He had to make something up very fast. "It's a country far away from here. My town is very small. We don't have very much over there."

The lies were just becoming too much now. However, it seemed to work for Yuuko and Takeshi. Both of them stopped scrutinizing him and were satisfied with what he said. Russia was far away but it wasn't small and his home town certainly wasn't small. Hopefully, they wouldn't try to look it up anytime soon.

"I'll make sure you both aren't interrupted." Yuuko promised. "We're going to be here for a little longer and then we're going out. You are welcome to join us if you want."

"They are?" Takeshi looked at her. "We were going to the movies tonight! I've been waiting for this all week!"

"Come on! They're not going to interrupt our date! If anything, it will be like a double date! I think it will be fun!"

A double date. Yuko wanted them to go on a double date to the movies. Takeshi was still protesting all of this but she insisted they come along. It wasn't going to be bad. Victor looked over at Yuuri. He seemed to be thinking about this offer.

"We have a project to complete." He finally spoke up. "I don't know if we'll have time for the movies tonight."

"See? They're busy!" Takeshi pointed out. "You don't need to bother them with this. Maybe we can do the double date another time."

"I guess so." Yuko looked a little disappointed but then she smiled. "Go have fun on the ice, guys. We won't hold you up anymore."

It seemed like they had dodged a bullet. This would give Victor more time to figure teenager Yuuri a little better. They would be on familiar territory with the ice. Yuuko and Takeshi would be on the sides to watch them. As promised, Yuuri decided to go out on the ice first and Victor wanted to watch him. He wanted to see just how good fifteen year old Yuuri was. By now, he would have mastered a few skills. At this point, he would probably have won a lot of junior competitions. Then again, no one knew anything about this world.

 _I have to go back._ Victor realized. _Somehow, I have to get through to Yuuri and get back home. I don't know how but I need to._

"What are you waiting for, Victor? Skate with me!"

Now that was something that made him feel a little better about this dream world. Perhaps there were some good things here after all.

Yuuko and Takeshi hung around with them for a little longer until Takeshi poked Yuuko's shoulder. "We have to go now. The movie is going to start in half an hour."  


"That's right! But I have to_" She looked over at them as they were on the ice. "I normally wouldn't ask you to do this, Yuuri, but can you lock up for me? I will leave the key right here. I know I can trust you. Anyone else, I wouldn't bother but I know you'll take care of this. Just turn off the lights, make sure everything else is off, and lock the door behind you. I've already cleaned up the place."  


There was a little yip coming from the corner and she ran over to it. "Oh, I almost forgot about you! You've been in here all this time! You're so small, it's easy to forget that you're around. Thank goodness you're all right. You're such a good dog!"  


Yuuri's face lit up when she came over with a tiny poodle. "How did Vicchan get here?"  


"Mari dropped him off earlier. She thought you would be here but I told her I'd look after Vicchan for the time being." Yuuko explained, handing Vicchan to Yuuri. "He was definitely missing you. I told you would be here but I don't think he believed me."  


"Oh, you missed me?" Yuuri scratched behind Vicchan's ears. "I missed you too. I hope you weren't much trouble for everyone."  


"He was an angel as always." Yuuko sighed. "A little hyper but that's nothing new. I think he was just anxious and waiting for you."  


"That's not all. Your dog pooped on the floor when no one was looking." Takeshi pointed out. "That's the third time this week. It took forever to clean up."  


"It's no big deal! Really!" Yuuko nudged Takeshi in the side. "It can happen to anyone and it was not a problem. Vicchan was a good dog otherwise."  


"Oh, I almost forgot to introduce you to him!" Yuuri held onto a tiny toy poodle who had to be Vicchan. So Vicchan existed in this world. Seeing Yuuri's dog made Victor miss Makkachin even more. Did Makkachin exist here? It was so hard to tell. "This is Vicchan! Vicchan, say hi to Victor!"  


_He still named the dog Vicchan? I guess some things aren't changing in this world. I don't even know where I am._  


Victor acted like everything was fine and reached out to pet Vicchan. The poodle's fur was soft and it was a squirmy, happy little dog. He was so much smaller than Makkachin but full of energy and life. The fact that the poor dog was going to die only a few years later made his heart hurt. Yuuri looked so happy when he was holding onto him. He gave the dog a little hug and Vicchan let out a little yelp of excitement.  


"Sorry, Vicchan! I'm just happy to see you! You're going to wait out here though. Victor and I have something to do." He stroked the poodle's fur one more time before leaving him on the ground. "Stay right there!  


"You are so good!" Yuuri exclaimed once Victor was on the ice. At least one thing hadn't changed about this world and that was his ability to skate. "How long have you been doing this?"  


"A long time."  


"I can tell. You've got to teach me how to skate like you do. You're so confident on the ice."  


_Oh, Yuuri, you have no idea, do you? You don't know anything about me._ It was difficult to say anything to Yuuri and reveal what was going on in Victor's mind. The poor thing had no idea who he was talking to. He had no idea that Victor was his future husband. He had no idea about the Grand Prix finals and his failure and how he had come back from it. Little Yuuri had so much that was going to happen to him. Over the corner, Vicchan was waiting patiently for them to come off the ice. The poor dog wanted to run out there to play with his owner but it was not going to happen. Yuuri told him to stay and so he stayed.  


"How long have you had Vicchan?"  


"For about three or four years now. He's not a very big dog but I don't care. He's mine."  


_He looks so much like a tiny Makkachin. Does Makkachin even exist out here? No one knows who I am. I guess he's not real either._ Victor felt depression hit him at that moment and he wanted to stop. He wanted to get out of the dream world and go back to reality where they were adults. He wanted to go back to spending long nights with Yuuri, playing around, and having fun. He wanted to go back to eating katsudon, coaching his husband, and just being with him. He wanted to see Makkachin again.  


"Is everything okay, Victor?" Yuuri asked when he saw the dark look on Victor's face. "Did I do or say something wrong? Whatever it was, I'm sorry."  


"Hmm?" Victor realized Yuuri was talking to him. "I'm sorry. I didn't hear you."  


"I asked if anything was wrong. You were happy one minute and now you're sad. Are you worried about school? We'll get through that. It will probably take like three days and we'll be done with it. I'll help you as much as I can."  


"No, no, it's not that. I was thinking of my dog..."  


"You have a dog?"  


"His name is Makkachin and he looks so much like your Vicchan over there. He's a lot bigger though. He's a very playful dog, very loving." Talking about Makkachin wasn't making the pain go away. It was only making him miss everything more. "I wish he was here right now."  


"Oh." Yuuri didn't know what to say then. He decided it was best to change the subject. "Let's start talking about the project. We've wasted enough time as it is."  


"Right, right. Help me out with this. Where should we start?"  


"Do you have any idea what to talk about?"  


Oh, there it was. Victor's mind went completely blank as he had no idea what history was like in this strange world. "Um, maybe something about Russia?"  


"You mentioned that place before but I never heard of it. What's it like?"  


Of course. He had forgotten all about the fact that Russia wasn't real here. "It's very cold. It snows over there. We have a lot of famous people from it."  


"Not that much different than here then. What about Russia's history?"  


"Where do you want to start with that? Russia has a lot of history and I can talk about it all day if you want." The question is if you would believe me or not. I feel like I don't know you in this world, Yuuri.  


As of now, they were just friends. They weren't lovers or husbands. They weren't even pupil and coach. Yuuri didn't even know him and it was going to be hell to get him to fall back in love. Right now, Victor just wanted someone else to interrupt. He wanted to hear from a familiar person. Yakov. Yurio. Anyone. He needed someone to wake him from this dream.  


"Um, let's go back about thirty years." Yuuri suggested. "Is that far enough or should we go back even further?"  


"I'd rather hear your ideas first." Victor said. He didn't want to start talking about a place that may not exist. "What were you thinking of doing?"  


"I was thinking about here. I was thinking of what this place might have been like thirty years ago. I've seen some pictures of my mother and father from that time." The very thought of seeing Toshiya and Hiroko again was also painful. "My father had a lot of hair back then! He doesn't like to talk about it though."  


"A lot of hair like mine?"  


"No, it wasn't as nice as yours. I should show you a picture one day. I have to look through all the albums though. My mother had some fashion sense but my father had none. It's great!"  


Victor almost burst out laughing at the idea of Toshiya having terrible fashion sense. It was also reminding him of the time he found Yakov's old pictures. Everyone had a good laugh over them until Yakov yelled at them to get back on the ice. Then he threatened to burn those pictures but it was too late. Everyone had already seen his tie-dyed fashion on the ice. Anytime they felt like teasing him, they brought that back up.  


Yakov. God, what he wouldn't have given to hear him yell again. He needed some normalcy back here. He wanted to see Mila bench pressing Yurio once more. He wanted Georgi's love drama and Phichit calling them to show off some pictures. He wanted to talk to Chris and hear how things were going. He wanted Yurio to kick him and call him an old idiot. He wanted to hear a voice, any voice, telling him off right now. For now, he was stuck with a young Yuuri and a younger version of himself. If this was a dream, when was he going to wake up? Why was the alarm clock not going off? Was it broken? Or was this his reality?

"Victor? Victor, hey!" Yuuri snapped his fingers in front of Victor's face. "We have to go now. I promised Yuko I would lock up for her. I'm not supposed to but she trusts me enough to do that."

"Oh, yes! I remember! Let's go to your home!"

He wanted to see the hot springs so badly right now. That had to be normal, right? He also was curious what younger versions of Toshiya, Hiroko, and Mari looked like. Hopefully, all of their personalities were going to be same. Yuuri still seemed sweet as ever. He just didn't know what would happen in the future.

"Yuuri, do you have any big dreams?" He finally asked as they were leaving the ice rink. "What do you want to do when you grow up?"

Yuuri was quiet for a second. "Well, I would like to win an Olympic medal for figure skating. It sounds like a big dream but it would be nice to bring gold to Japan."

"I see. Anything else?"

"Honestly, I just want to skate forever. I know that's not possible but it would be nice to win a lot of competitions. I just have to figure out a way to get on the podium. I don't know how I'll do it."  
The dream was still there. Yuuri still wanted to be a great skater. He had a little anxiety mixed inside of his voice so that wasn't a surprise. Young Yuuri would still have anxiety, maybe more now than before. As of now, he didn't have much direction in his life. He needed someone to guide him. He needed a little more support to get him to achieve those dreams. His family was wonderful but they didn't understand everything about figure skating. Yuuri needed someone who did get what he was talking about.

 _This is nice and all but I would like to go back to my real world._ Victor decided. _I don't belong here. I want to go back to my Yuuri who's grown and in love with me. This Yuuri has a long way to go before he trusts me. I don't even know if he can love me._

And a world without Yuuri's love was one he didn't want to live in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [I'm still on tumblr!](http://fallsintograce.tumblr.com)
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> Forgive any mistakes I may have made. I'll come up and fix them later.


	4. It Was All A Dream...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was all a dream. A really weird dream...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the last chapter. I'm dealing with a lot of anxiety and depression right now but I want to get this fic finished before I disappear for some time. I'm already trying to take time off from social media as it is. But here's the conclusion to my reverse bang fic.

Shortly after they were done, Yuuri took him to meet everyone in his house. The family seemed normal even though they were younger. Yuuri still had wonderful parents who thought the world of him. Mari was the same as always though she had just started working at the hot springs. It was strange meeting them all over again. It was also painful to see them acknowledge Vicchan. Not a single person in this family knew what was around the corner.  


"Is there anything you'd like to eat?" Hiroko asked. "We've got a lot of food."  


Oh, there was so much that he wanted to eat but only one thing would make sense. "Katsudon."  


"Yes, yes, our katsudon is very popular! It's one of Yuuri's favorites. A very filling dish but I think you'll enjoy it."  


_It's one of my favorites too._ He wanted to reply. Out loud, he said. "That sounds nice. One katsudon please."  


"Well, your new friend is very polite." Hiroko said. "Such a nice man. Make sure you keep an eye on Yuuri. His mind tends to wander off when he's studying."  


"Mom, I..."  


"It's true." Mari cut in. "He's smart but he's a daydreamer. Maybe you can get him to focus for a change."  


"I will try to get him to focus then." Victor promised.

Once they were upstairs, Victor knew he had to say something. This dream had to stop. He could pretend to pour over books and act like he knew what he was talking about. He needed Yuuri to understand him and listen to him. Yuuri was talking to him but he had stopped listening. The only thing on his mind was to wake up and there was only way to do that. In fairy tales, the prince kissed the princess and she woke up. Maybe Yuuri had to be that prince and he needed to be the princess. He needed that prince to wake him up but how could he make him do that?

"What's wrong, Victor?" Yuuri asked, realizing that Victor wasn't paying attention to him anymore. "Did I do something wrong? Did I say something wrong?"  


"No." Victor shook his head. "I...I haven't been honest with you. There are some things I've been keeping from you."  


"Like what? Is your name something else? Do you come from another place? You can't figure skate?" Yuuri had a lot of questions. "Are you a spy?!"  


"No, it's Victor. I am from Russia and I can figure skate. You saw all of that. And no, I'm not a spy. I'm just...this world..." He had no idea how to start this. "You and I know each other but we are much older. In another world, we know each other. In fact, we're married."  


Yuuri blinked. "You're kidding. You don't have to make up stories for me, Victor. This isn't funny."  


"I'm not making it up. You're my husband in the future. I...we are both figure skaters and I'm also your coach."  


"What are you saying? It doesn't make sense!"  


"I know it doesn't make sense but you have to believe me! This world...it doesn't make sense. You and I are together in another world. We're much older. In fact, I'm not just Victor Nikiforov. I'm a five-time world champion."  


"...I don't believe you."  


"It's true, Yuuri. Everything I'm telling you is true. I was coaching you because you..." He paused. It was probably not a good idea to tell Yuuri about the banquet now. "Look, we are in love in another world. You're older and...almost everything else is the same." He looked down at Vicchan's fluffy brown self and felt terrible. There was no way he could tell Yuuri that his beloved dog was going to die. "This world isn't right."  


"What do you mean this world isn't right? What are you trying to do?"  


"Nothing! I'm just trying to tell you the truth!" Victor was growing exasperated right now. He didn't think Yuuri was going to believe him so easily but he needed to get this out. "I'm sorry, Yuuri. I'm not trying to upset you. I just want you to know the truth. I want you to know about me."  


"Now I feel like I know nothing." Yuuri muttered. "Why would you say something like this? Why would say that this isn't real?"  


"Because it's not! I want to go back to the real world. I want to go back to when you and I are older. This just feels strange to me. This is different. This is..."  


_A dream. It has to be a dream. From the beginning, I said it was a dream._  


"I've pinched myself and tried to wake up and I can't." He finally finished. "I cannot force you to believe me, Yuuri. I just need you to know."  


"I..." Yuuri was more confused than ever. He hugged Vicchan because the dog seemed to be the only source of comfort he had. "That's a lot to think about. You said a lot of stuff, Victor, and I don't know if I can believe you."  


"What can I do to make you believe me?"  


There was a brief moment of silence. "You said we were in love in another world."  


"That's right."  


"You said I'm married to you in another world."  


"Right."  


"I'm your husband and we're skaters. No, you're my coach!" He tried to piece it all together. "Wait, are you doing both?"  


"You're figuring it out." Victor felt relief at that moment. Yuuri was slowly starting to believe him. "It's hard but yes, I do both."  


"Why would you coach me?" He asked. "If you're a five-time champion like you claim, why waste time on me?"  


"Because it's not a waste of time. You have a lot of skill, Yuuri. You just don't realize it yet. You also have a lot of charm. It's the thing that drew me to you." It was hard to say these things while Yuuri struggled to believe him. "I don't know what else I can say or do to make you believe me."  


"I don't know how I can wake you out of your so-called dream. This is real."  


"No, it isn't. Nothing about this place is real. You don't even know what Russia is! It's a real country, Yuuri! It's where I'm from! And you...you're..." He had no idea what else to say. "Pinch me, Yuuri. I can't wake up."  


"Huh?" Yuuri didn't move. "Why should I pinch you?"  


"I want to go back to my world. Please...help me..."  


"Okay, I will try to help you. I don't know..." Yuuri reached over and pinched Victor's arm. "Did that work?"  


"That was not a pinch. I barely felt it."  


"You want me to pinch you harder?"  


"If you can..."  


Yuuri tried once more and it led to nothing. "Are you in your real world yet?"  


"No. I don't think this is working."  


"Then what will work?" Yuuri asked.  


Victor had only one solution to this. "Kiss me."  


Yuuri blinked twice. "I'm sorry, you want me to..."  


"Kiss me. Or should I kiss you instead? I want you to wake me up from this dream."  


"No, I can't do that!" Yuuri shook his head. "I never kissed anyone before! I don't know how that's going to work!"  


"It's very easy. You put your lips together like this", Victor demonstrated it, "and you_"  


"I know what a kiss is, Victor! I just don't know if I can...kiss you." Yuuri pointed out. He was uneasy about this even though he wanted to help. "Is there any other way?"  


"I don't know. I was just thinking about the fairytale where the princess is woken up by the prince's kiss. I thought that would work."  


"That's a fairy tale, Victor. I don't know if it will work in real life."  


"Just try it. Lean in and kiss me."  


"Oh...okay." Yuuri took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Am I doing this right?"  


"You're fine. You are beautiful."  


"What?"  


"Just come closer."  


Yuuri inched close till he was practically breathing into Victor's face. "Okay, now what?"  


"Kiss me, Yuuri! Wake me up!"  


"I...I..."  


"Kiss me..."  


"I...I'm trying." Yuuri puckered his lips and went in closer. "Am I doing it?"  


"No, move in a little bit more."  


"Victor!"  


"Yuuri..."  


"Fine. Here goes!"  


Without thinking twice, Yuuri forced himself to kiss Victor. It was a quick kiss but it was perfect. For someone who hadn't kissed anyone before, he had done well. When he pulled away, he was blushing and turning away. He was done.  
All that Victor needed now was to wake up.  


Light was what finally woke him up. He didn't know who was shining it down on him or why but he blinked a few times, eyelashes fluttering. Slowly, voices became more audible and the visions around him started to become clear. At first, all he saw we big blocks of color and odd shapes. Then the shapes started to take form. There was something licking his face and then someone nudging him gently.  


"No, no...I can't...you are..." He began mumbling into his pillow, grabbing it and burying his face. "This is...fantasy...not real. You are...not real."  


"Victor? Hey, Victor! Wake up! It's okay, it's okay! It's me!"  


Victor opened his eyes slowly as the sun poured through the window. A quick glance at the alarm clock told him that it was five in the morning. The entire room was cold and their blankets had been tossed to the side. A pillow had been kicked to the ground and there was Makkachin, licking away at his face and nuzzling him with a wet nose.  


Makkachin. Home. He was home.  


"Victor, are you okay?"  


That familiar voice brought him back to reality. Yes, this was the reality he was used to. He turned his head and was greeted with those warm brown eyes that he loved. Yuuri's eyes. His Yuuri was no longer a teen but a grown man and as lovely as ever. He wasn't wearing his glasses and his hair was a mess. Still, he was beautiful. He was the only sight Victor wanted to see.

"What happened, Yuuri?" He asked.  


"I was hoping you could tell me that. I was sleeping when you started to thrash around. At first, I ignored it but then you started to talk in your sleep. You weren't making any sense. I didn't know if I should wake you or not." Yuuri became concerned at that moment. "Was it a nightmare? Do you need anything?"  


"No, no! I'm fine." Victor rubbed his eyes and felt Makkachin whimpering at his side, cold nose pressing against his arms. "Okay, Makkachin, that's enough. I'm awake."  


"He was worried about you too." Yuuri pointed out. "I think he sensed that you were having a bad dream. He's been trying to wake you up."  


"Oh." Victor scratched Makkachin behind the ears and tried to make sense of where he was right now. The room was familiar with its walls covered in pictures and ceiling that was slightly crumbling. That could be fixed in a few days. Drawers, the closet, chairs...it was all coming back to him now. "I'm home."  


"That's right. You're home." Yuuri assured him. "You never left. It's nothing but a dream."  


"A very long dream." Victor corrected him. "I didn't think..."

"Shh! You're awake now. Everything is going to be all right. No one can hurt you."  


He was back where he needed to be. They were back in Russia, back in the cold weather, and back where things were normal. There was Makkachin, all grown up, furry and brown, sensing that his master needed some comfort. There was Yuuri, all concerned and sweet. Still, there was nothing to worry about anymore. They were back in the reality that he belonged in.  


"How did I get back?" He asked.  


"What do you mean?" Yuuri wanted to know. "You never left. Wherever you think you went, it was in your dream. You didn't time travel."  


"I didn't?" Victor was lost. "I...dream...you were in it, Yuuri! And...And...I don't know..."

"Slow down. Just tell me what you remember about it." Yuuri stroked his hair and lay down on his side. "We have time. It's still too early to wake up but if you want to_"  
"I time traveled." Victor whispered. "I went back...to when you were in school."

"How far back?"  


"I think you were fifteen? That's what you said to me. You were in school and I was in your school. I don't know how."  


"In school with me? That is a new one. You've have strange dreams before where you traveled back in time."  


"This was different. We were assigned to work together and you didn't know who I was. I was young too. In fact, we were the same age! I didn't know how but..."  


"Oh, it's okay if it doesn't make sense. Dreams usually don't make sense!" Yuuri laughed. "So we were the same age and in the same class. What happened then?"  


"We were in America. You didn't know where Russia was. At least I could still skate in it but you...you didn't recognize anything about me. Neither did your friends. I was scared that I was trapped in that world and could never come out. Oh, Yuuri." Victor buried himself into Yuuri's chest and sighed. "I'm not dreaming anymore, am I?"  


"No, this is real."  


"Then who am I?"  


"You are Victor Nikiforov, the only man I loved from the moment I first saw him skate. You're also my coach and the living legend."  


"Who are you?"  


"Katsuki Yuuri, your loving fiance and student. I live with you now. I've been living with you for a long time."  


"Okay, good. Where am I?"  


"St. Petersburg, Russia. I moved in with you. We train together and you coach me. Are you starting to remember things now?"  


"I remember it all." He sat up in bed, feeling confident that he was finally back. He touched the bed and it felt real. This was the bed that they had bought together a few months ago and it was already a little lumpy. "It was a strange dream but it was a good one. I think I got to know you better."  


"You did? What did I say in it?"

"You were sweet as always. You didn't believe me at first but you were willing to work with me. After a while, I finally told you everything about me. And then..."

"And then?" Yuuri prompted. "What happened?"

Victor shook his head. "Then I woke up."

"I see." Yuuri looked a little disappointed for not knowing about the kiss but maybe it was for the best. "Well, you are home now. We are together. You're not stuck in another world or time. You are here with me." He was trying to reassure Victor of this but it sounded more like he was reassuring himself. "Let's get ready then. Since we're both up, we might as well go early. Then we can get out early." Makkachin let out a happy bark. "Oh, we'll probably have to walk him first. Now, if you don't feel like going out, we can_"

"No, let's go." Victor pulled himself out of bed. "I want to make sure I'm in the real world."

"Okay, then get dressed and..." Yuuri took a peek out the window. "Oh, look! Chihoko is shining!"

"What?!" If Victor wasn't fully awake before, he was now. He rushed over to the window while Yuuri tried to contain his laughter. Even Makkachin seemed amused by this. Outside, he saw nothing but gray skies and buildings with a few people walking around. "Where?! I thought I was_"

"I'm kidding! We are in St. Petersburg."  


"Yuuri, you promised you wouldn't bring that up again!" Victor felt his cheeks growing hot as he remembered that incident. "Did you have to remind me?"

"I'm sorry. The bottom line is that you are home, okay? You didn't travel anywhere else. Now do you still want to go out?"  


"I will on one condition."  


"And what's that?"  


He leaned over to steal a kiss from him. "Never mention Chihoko to me again."

FIN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there any mistakes, I will take care of them in the morning. My mind is still very fuzzy but I will do my best to correct anything I left off. 
> 
> You may also follow me at [fallsintograce](http://fallsintograce.tumblr.com) on tumblr if you want to keep up with me.

**Author's Note:**

> [Follow me on tumblr!](http://fallsintograce.tumblr.com) I like talking YOI and random stuff! 
> 
> I'm sorry, I had to make another Chihoko reference. Yuri! On Stage was the gift that kept giving tbh! 
> 
> Also, this fic will probably update every Tuesday, give or take a day.


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